John Goodman (right) in "The Artist," which scored a number of Screen Actors Guild nominations

Wednesday morning Starz Denver Film Festival honoree Judy Greer and “Southland” actress Regina King announced the nominees for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, with casts from “The Artist” and “The Help” garnering the most nominations.

The nominees for film include something of a surprise with R-rated comedy “Bridesmaids” among the ensembles competing for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Unlike the often times idiosyncratic critics kudos, the SAG Awards begin to offer Oscar handicappers a truer sense of the competition for the Academy Awards (Feb. 26)

Greer, who appears “The Descendants” — a SAG-nominated ensemble — was in town in November to receive the Denver fest’s John Cassavetes Award, only the third woman and the first actress to earn the honor. Greer and King announced nominations in five film and eight television categories. The 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards show will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS, Sunday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. (MT).

Lisa Kennedy has been The Denver Post film critic for quite a spell. The job returned her to the town she grew up in after 20 years of living elsewhere: mostly in New York City. During the time she's been back, she was voted into the National Society of Film Critics, a first for a Colorado reviewer. When she began Diary of a Mad Moviegoer, she wasn't just cribbing from Tyler Perry. In fact, she seldom goes all Madea on movies, thinking the gig is more like a conversation than a competition about who's right about which flick.